School of Psychology Newsletter – October 2015 P syc b a b b l e Word from the Head Kia ora tatou The Psycobabble this month contains a veritable torrent of success stories ranging from newly minted PhDs, to conferences, to impressive publications, to Robert Michael’s stunning success as a trans-Tasman finalist in the 3MT contest, and the list could go on and on. But perhaps the biggest and best bouquet would go to Professor Colleen Ward as the only academic this year from VUW to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. This is a very big deal. I had a quick perusal of the calendar and counted fewer than 20 such Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand across all the faculties and schools at VUW. The Royal Society of New Zealand is modelled after the original Royal Society of London, which was kicked off in 1690. Right from the beginning the Royal Society of London was experimental and scientific in its aims and ethos. This is reflected in its motto, Nullius in verbia, which is Latin for “Take nobody’s word for it”. The look-alike NZ Royal Society was established in 1867, and rapidly accumulated a list of scientific luminaries as Honorary Fellows, including Darwin and Einstein. The society currently has 404 Fellows living in New Zealand and 40 Honorary Fellows living outside New Zealand. The latest addition to the list of Honorary Fellows (Professor Jeffry Simpson) has strong research collaborative links with both our School at VUW and the School of Psychology at Auckland University. He also happens to be the first Psychologist to be elected as an Honorary Fellow in the Royal Society of New Zealand. Science is a vast international club, and our school is a vibrant member of this club. This is reflected in many ways, including the number of postgraduate students we fund to attend overseas conferences (22 this year alone), the many overseas academic visitors we receive, the international collaborative research networks our academic staff have, and the substantial contributions many of our staff make to international journals and professional academic societies. This kind of engagement informs and enriches our teaching at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels. Finally, a warm welcome to our newest member of staff, Associate Professor Louise Dixon, who joins our expanding Forensic programme. Best wishes Garth Fletcher Welcome to new staff The ranks of new staff in the school continues to expand, this time with the arrival of Louise Dixon. Dr Louise Dixon Associate Professor Dr. Louise Dixon has taken up the role of Associate Professor in the School and will contribute to both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, with a focus on the MSc in Forensic Psychology Programme. Louise is originally from the North West of England and received her PhD in Psychology in 2005 from the University of Birmingham and also completed her training to become a UK registered Forensic Psychologist at this time. She went on to become a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at Birmingham until recently moving to New Zealand to experience a new challenge. Louise specialises in the prevention of interpersonal aggression and violence. Primarily, her research has centred on the study of intimate partner violence and abuse and has a strong applied element. It has addressed issues related to aetiology, psychological risk assessment, offender rehabilitation, programme evaluation, primary prevention and policy change in this area. As such it has influenced practice and policy in correctional settings, policing, psychological, health and political areas. Her laboratory will study issues centered on interpersonal and family aggression and use both quantitative and qualitative research methods. In addition to psychology (of course) she loves dogs, sport, good food and wine and welcomes collaboration, new friends and adventures! Louise is located in EA620 – extension 6548. Congratulations Colleen, FRSNZ! The CACR whanau [and the wider school!] are immensely proud of Prof Colleen Ward who has just been elected to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. The 12 new Fellows (of which only three are women) were elected by their peers at the Annual General Meeting of the Society on the 20th of October. Academy Chairperson Professor Richard Le Heron FRSNZ said that being elected as a Fellow is an honour given to New Zealand’s top researchers for showing exceptional distinction in research or in the advancement of science, technology or the humanities. Colleen’s citation read – Professor Colleen Ward, Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research, Victoria University of Wellington, has made substantial contributions to the psychological study of immigration, acculturation and intercultural relations. Her research has been systematically and widely applied and she is recognised internationally for her sustained leadership in capacity. In New Zealand Professor Ward has received a number of government contracts aimed at understanding and improving relationships amongst the many cultures that call New Zealand home. Colleen becomes one of 404 Fellows and 59 Honorary Fellows of the RSNZ. Fellows are involved in providing expert advice, promoting best and innovative research practice and disseminating information on the sciences, technology and humanities. Way to go Colleen! Robert Michael, 3MT Trans-Tasman Finalist Like all momentous events, my Trans-Tasman 3 Minute Thesis experience begins with Celine Dion’s warbling cover of The Power of Love blearing through the airport shuttle’s stereo at 3:30 a.m. on a frigid Wellington morning. I’m headed to The University of Queensland in Brisbane, where I will join 49 other PhD students from various countries. Our task? Give a 3 minute talk explaining our research. A panel of judges will then select 10 finalists. These finalists then present once more to a new panel of judges, who select a final winner and runner-up. The UQ campus is immense; it has its own post-code. The competition is hosted in a fancy auditorium in one of the newest buildings on campus. Worryingly, the stage has a trapdoor. One of the organisers assures us, however, that the judges do not have buttons to trigger the trapdoor, and that the trapdoor does not open to a pit of venomous snakes. After a much needed coffee, the semi-final talks begin. I’m stunned by the consistent high quality of people’s presentations. When my turn comes, I learn a valuable new skill for public speaking: Ensure that the stage lights blind you, thus preventing you from being able to acknowledge the existence of an audience. I am shocked when my name is announced as one of the finalists. We break for lunch and then the final begins. The ten finalists present once more and then wait anxiously while the judges deliberate. The well-deserved winners are then announced: 1st prize goes to Eamonn Fahy from the University of Melbourne, and runner-up goes to Jaysuman Bin Pusppanathan from Universiti Teknologi Malasyia. Jaysuman is doubly blessed, also taking away the People’s Choice award. After a barrage of congratulations and photos, we head to a new venue for celebratory drinks and socialising. It’s a surreal experience to come together for just one day with such a diverse and talented group of people. Everyone was so incredibly friendly, and New Zealand was well represented. I had a great time. I strongly encourage everyone to give the next 3MT a go. It’s a unique experience that helps you think creatively about your research and communicate it in an accessible way. Thank you to the innumerable friends and colleagues who have been so supportive, and to the PGSA and FGR—who make the whole exhilarating event possible. You can watch Robert’s presentation, and those of the other finalists, at http://threeminutethesis.org/trans-tasman. Robert (third from left) with the other Trans-Tasman 3MT finalists. Stuff That Sucks Congratulations to Ben Sedley who recently had his book Stuff That Sucks: Accepting what you can’t change and committing to what you can published. A beautifully designed and illustrated book aimed at adolescents that will help them deal with painful emotions by drawing on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and presenting them in ways that are eye-catching and easy to understand. Young people often struggle with their emotions and do not want to be told that ‘everyone feels like that’ or that ‘you will grow out of it’. Instead, in many cases, it’s more useful to validate their emotions and offer a truthful understanding of the pain that they are feeling. Stuff That Sucks encourages adolescents to accept their emotions rather than struggling against them. It also shows how to reconnect with what is really important, giving teens the tools to help clarify their personal values and take steps towards living a life where those values can guide them in their day-to-day behaviour. Jargon-free and full of illustrations, Stuff That Sucks is an accessible and approachable guide to painful emotions. Copies will be available in all good bookstores from Friday 23rd October, or Ben will have copies to sell - see him in EA524. The Honours Poster Session The Honours poster session was held on Friday 16th October and brought the Alan MacDiarmid Foyer to life with a display of excellent posters and lively presentations as students discussed their projects with other students and staff. But what was the experience like from a student’s perspective? Emma Tennant describes how she felt about the poster session: The poster session was a great opportunity to see what everyone had been working on for the year. I really enjoyed getting to share my research with others.